I have curly hair and don't straighten it but I agree with you. It is hard to look professional when your hair is so wild. It's lovely when it looks nice (about 20% of the time) but mostly it just looks scruffy.

When I was at university I had very long naturally curly hair (it is a bit shorter now). I was told by several 'friends' that it was common and that was why none of the public school types were interested in me

I was so paranoid about it back then I tied it into a tight bun for all my graduate interviews in case employers were put off by my common curls!

In my 20s, I had several BF's who referred to my hair as 'frizzy' (it's not) and said it looked better straight. My ExP used to call it a mop and always be on at me to straighten it.

Despite this, I love my hair. I do wear it up for interviews (in a loose bun, you can still see the curls) but never straighten it (haven't done so for years)

I now have curly hair (pregnancy made it curl and each child made it curlier), my hairdresser always straightens it (I can't be bothered) but thankfully cuts it in a short style that looks OK with nothing much done to it.

My 5yo DD has a gorgeous mop of curly hair. She wants nothing more than long straight hair like her friends.

The other night it was soaking wet from the bath so I used the hairdryer on it and stupidly used the brush etc to blowdry it 'straight' so she could see what it looked like (still pretty wavy but loads longer). She cried when she woke up and it was curly again

I for one would love her hair and she constantly gets complimented on it by strangers!

Didn't we have a weather girl who was criticised for her curly hair not being professional a few years back?

Anyway, yes. I'm v curly - I spent 16 years dragging my hair back into a bun wet, so that it was under control for work. I had very close colleagues who didn't recognise me when my hair was down.

Two years ago I had it cut short. Long and curly is great, and sexy, but it is virtually impossible to cut the 'honestly I am a professional' mustard, when you inevitably look like you have been dragged through a hedge backwards if you so much as walk out of the door into a slight breeze, or the humidity in the air changes.

If you are a creative type, it's just about possible. But any other work situation, they expect 'grooming'. Pah.

Having it short (pixie short) makes it tolerable. I don't feel inadequate every morning when I look in the mirror, and have to spend time trying to change the curl to make it look less scary.

I love curly hair. But the rest of the world hates it (except old ladies) so in order to appear as competent as other workers, you end up trying to conform.

It's all bollocks, really, of course. I mean, the state of my hair doesn't reflect on my ability to use my brain. But it does rather seem that a lot of supposedly intelligent folk think that it does... Those born poker straight have no idea how easy they have it. ;-)

Had no idea people felt this way. Hair looks suitable for professional roles if it is clean, styled a bit and shows signs of the odd visit to a hairdresser (ie nice ends rather than straggly ones).Nowt to do with curly/straight.

I know lots of men who love their gf/wife's very curly hair - its one of their favourite things about their appearance. My hair is wavy verging on curly but my dh, dad, fil and uncle all really like it when I make it properly curly. I think you just have a complex op!

Alwayslateforwork - I'm sorry but I just can't agree that 'everyone hates' curly hair. There is a fashion currently for straight hair, but real jobs have a wide variety of people of different ages, sizes, hairstyles and colour. Bosses I have known have had loads of different hair types. Not suggesting you look like this lovely shot from [http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=mog&hl=en&gl=us&client=ms-rim&tab=wi&q=working%20girl%20melanie&sa=N# Working Girl] but think there are more important things to worry about professionally.